Prep Football: Winnebago takes title

Saturday

Oct 26, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Jay TaftRockford Register Star

WINNEBAGO — As he talked to his players after their biggest win to date, Winnebago head coach Mark Helm could hear the fans shouting out phrases like “There’s a new king in town” and “We shocked the nation.”

But it was the tears that welled up in Helm’s eyes during that postgame speech that showed the true importance of the Indians’ 26-20 win over Stillman Valley, which handed undefeated Winnebago the Big Northern Conference West Division title on Friday.

“That’s just the DNA of these guys: It may not always be the prettiest, but they play with heart, they never quit, and they don’t back down,” Helm said after his first win over Stillman Valley in nine tries as Winnebago’s coach. “When you invest so much time — and for these guys, so many years — in trying to beat somebody, it makes it a little more special.”

But it wasn’t at all easy. Stillman Valley fullback Zac Hare rumbled for 149 yards and halfback Tristan Elliott rushed for 134 yards, and the Cardinals led twice in the second half, including 20-13 early in the fourth quarter.

But this was the Indians’ night. Michael Pate’s 83-yard kickoff return midway through the fourth, and his 26-yard burst to the Cardinal-2 just over two minutes later set up back-to-back Sean Ward TD runs that boosted the Indians back in front.

The Cardinals had two chances to retake the lead late, but a Connor McNames’ fumble on the Winnebago-30 with 1:15 left, and then Pate’s game-ending sack of McNames on the Indians’ 20 put a stop to the Stillman Valley (7-2, 4-2) rally.

“This one is going to sting. It’s a big loss for us. These last two weeks have been brutal,” said Hare, who rushed for over 130 yards in both of the Cardinals’ back-to-back losses. “This one hurts, but maybe it could be a blessing. It’s going to make us awfully hungry headed into the playoffs.”

Stillman Valley hammered Winnebago 47-21 in Week 9 last year to keep the Indians from earning a piece of that BNC West title. But Winnebago (9-0) exacted revenge Friday night, led by Pate’s triple-threat performance of 12 tackles, 90 rushing yards and 164 return yards, and Ward’s 156-yard, three-touchdown night.

“We haven’t beaten them in 17 years, and this one was for all those coaches, all those players who came so close before and just couldn’t get it. We got it,” Pate said. “They’re relentless; Stillman Valley is never going to stop coming after you. But we equaled their intensity, and we never stopped, either.”